Apparatus for feeding weighing-machines.



No. 706,588.* Patented Aug. I2, I902.

E-. NICKERSON.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WEIGHING MACHINES.

(Application filed Feb. 8, 1898.)

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Patented Aug. [2, I902. W. E. NICKERSON.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WEIGHING MACHINES.

I (Application filed Feb. 8, 1898.)

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WILLIAM EMERY NICKERSON, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THE NEW ENGLAND AUTOMATIC IVEIGHING MACHINE COMPANY, OFPORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WElGHlNG-MACHINES.

-SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 706,588, dated August12, 1902.

Application filed February 8, 1898. Serial No. 669,499.. (No modelJ Toalt whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WV'ILLIAM EMERY NICK- ERSON, of Cambridge, in thecounty of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts,.have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Apparatus for Feeding WVeighing-Machines of whichthe following, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification.

IO In operating weighing-machines it is frequently desirable to supplythem from a bin or receptacle in which an approriimately uniformquantity of material is maintaned in order that a steady equality ofconditions may prevail and to deliver to the weighingmachines from sucha receptacle a regular and even stream of the material to be weigh ed.In practice it is often found necessary to convey material to a weighingmachine from a point several floors above it. WVith coarselygranularsubstances this gives little trouble, as they will readily flow downward in a steady stream through a vertical or inclined chute, eventhough such chute be completely filled,

but with most powdery substarces-flour, for examplemuch difficulty isexperienced, as they do not flow through chutes of ordinary size, eventhough the chutes be vertical, if they are filled or have stood full fora short time. Furthermore, fine powders when in motion, and especiallywhen more or less charged or mingled with air, obey to some extent lawspertaining to fluids in the matters of flow and pressure, creating attimes 5 great pressure within the chutes and connected apparatus,especially when the chutes are high.

My present invention is intended to provide a simple and effectiveapparatus which 0 will overcome the difficulties above recited anddeliver to a weighing-machine a continuous and even stream of the{material to be weighed, whether granular or powdery in its nature.

A preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the complete apparatus,partly in elevation and partly in section. Fig. 2 is a view similar toFig. 1, but

showing certain movable parts in a different position. Fig. 3 is a planview, on a reduced scale, of a movable receptacleand its supportingmechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plai view of a device for receiving thematetial from the movable receptacle and feeding it into aweighing-machine. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the casing sliownin Fig.4, and Fig. 6 is a central vertical section through said casing and theparts contained therein. Fig. 7'is a perspective view of a stirringdevice, shown inverted in order to disclose the construction of what isnormally its under side.

In the drawings, A, Figs. 1 and 2, represents a weighing-machine, theconstruction of which it is not necessary to consider in de ta l, as itmay be of any desired type and fo-ms no part of the subject-matter of mypresent invention.

Above the weighing-machine A, I provide a bin or receptacle B, soarranged as to be movable according to the quantity of material which itcontains. To this end I prefer to mount the bin B on a pivoted frame Bby means of trunnions B 13 the bottom of the bin being guided, as bypivoted arms 13 B whereby the movement of the bin is made substantiallyvertical. The frame B turns upon pivot-bolts B" B and the bin 13 is co.1n- 8o terbalanced by any suitable means, such as a counterweight Bsuspended from the frame B on that side of the bolts B B" which isopposite the bin and having sufficient weight to balance the bin,together with about the quan- 8 5 tity of material which it is desiredto maintain therein. The bin B receives its s1? pply of material througha chute C, which is represented as extending from the top of the binupward to a conveyer D or other source of 0 supply adapted to feed thematerial continuously into the chute C. The passage of the materialthrough the chute C is controlled by suitable means, such as a valve E,which is preferably of the semirotary sort and 1nounted on a shaft E,extending through the chute C near its upper end. It is assumed that thesource of supply D is adapted to feed into the chute C a stream ofmaterial more than sufficient to supply the weighing-machine, so

that in order to equalize the supply of material to the quantitydelivered to the weighingmachine the valve E may be operated to out 01fsaid supply wholly or in part. The operation of the valve E iscontrolled by the movements of the bin B by means of suitableconnections, which may consist of an arm E secured to one end of theshaft E outside of the casing C and provided at one end with a weight E,tending to open the valve E, and at its other end E with a chain I),connected to the frame 13. As thus constructed when a sufficient amountof material has passed into the bin to cause said bin and its contentsto overbalance the counterweight B and thus to descend toward or intothe position shown in Fig. 2, the end E of the arm F. will thereby bepulled downward by the chain E thus partially or wholly closing thevalve E and arresting the flow of material into the bin. IVhen, on theother hand, the material has been drawn from the bin until thecounterweight B overbalances the bin and its load, the bin will risetoward or into the position shown in Fig. 1, thereby slackening thechain E and allowing the weight I to open the valve E and admit afurther supply of material to the-bin B. It will be understood thatthese movements of the bin B are not necessarily from one extremeposition to the other and that the bin may be made to regulate itscontents by slight movements one way or the other, so that anapproximately constant amount of material will be maintained in the binB and the chute C will be kept a free channel, and thus prevented fromfilling up and clogging.

In order to render the bin B dust-tight during its movements, I preferto connect it at its top with a fixed platform B located above it, by aband B of cloth or other flexible material, secured to said parts, andthe lower end of the bin may be similarly connected by a flexible band Bwith a stationary feeding device F, hereinafter described. The chute Oby extending through and penetrating: the platform B completes adust-tight passageway from the bin to the source of supply, in this casetheconveyer D.

The remaining portion of my invention relates to a feeding device fortransmitting the material with a regular flow from .the bin B to theweighing-machine A.

My preferred form of feeding device is designated as a whole in Figs. 1and 2 by the letter F and is shown in detail in Figs. 4, 5, (3, and 7,in which F represents a suitable casing, emptying at its lower end intothe weighing-machine A and supporting within itself a horizontal disk W,in which are cuta numberof concentric circular slots F preferablyslightly wider at the under side of the disk than at its top. Thering-shaped portions of the disk located between the circular slots aremaintained in position by attachment to spokes F located beneath thedisk, being preferably cast integral therewith. Upon the disk F rests arotary agitator F which may consist of a number of radial arms F",connected by a central portion, which is joursaid shaft beingcontinuously driven through' bevel-gears G G by any suitable mechanism.The arms F of the agitator F are preferably provided on the under sidewith short projections f, Figs. 0 and 7, which enter the circular slotsF and keep them from clogging with the material, and since each slotforms a complete circle there will be no obstruction to the continuousmotion of said projections therein. The rotation of the agitator causesthe material to fall through the slots F the latter being sufficientlynarrow to prevent the material from flowing through them unless theagitator is in motion, and in order to provide against the periodiccoinciding of the arms F with the spokes F", whereby the continuity ofthe flow of material would be momentarily interrupted, I prefer to havethe spokes f and arms F unequal in number for example, six spokes andseven arms, as shown in the drawings-so that in all positions of theagitator F some of the arms F will be out of coincidence with any spokeF", and hence will be active in feeding the material in the manner abovedescribed. I have shown the shaft F as provided with one or moreprojecting pins F Figs. 1 and 2, located within the lower end of the binB, which serve to prevent any possibility of clogging in the contractedlower portion of said bin and assist in the delivery of the materialtherefrom. Thus the amount of material in the bin B being keptapproximately constant in the manner above described the feeding deviceF will transmit therefrom to the weighing-machine A a uniform and steadystream of material, as will be sufficiently apparent without furtherdescription.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a feeding apparatus for weighing-mmchines, the combination of a chute adapted to receive a supply ofmaterial at its upper end, the height of said chute being greater thanits transverse dimensions, a movable receptacle arranged to receivematerial from the lower end of said chute and to transmit the same to aweighing-machine, said receptacle being operated by the weight of apredetermined amount of said material, and means operative with themovements of said receptacle for controlling the admission of thematerial to the upper end of said chute.

2. In a feeding apparatus for weighing-mm chines, the combination of achute adapted to receive a supply of material at its upper end, theheight of said chute being greater than its transverse dimensions, amovable receptacle adapted to receive material from said chute and totransmit the same to a weighing-machine, said receptacle beingprovidedwith a counterbalance the weight of which is substantially equal to theweight of said receptacle together with a quantity of materialsufficient to fill the same to a predetermined depth, a valve located atthe upper end of said chute, and operating connections between saidvalve and receptacle.

3. In a feeding apparatus for weighing-machines, the combination of amovable receptacle arranged to be operated when partially filled withmaterial, a positively-driven feed ing device for transferring materialfrom said receptacle to a weighing-n1 achine, and means operated by themovements of said receptacle for controlling the admission of materialthereto, and thereby maintaining a substantially constant depth ofmaterial above the feeding device.

at. In a feeding apparatus for weighing-inachines, a stationarysupply-chute, a stationary casing adapted to deliver material to aweighing-machine, a movable receptacle located between said stationaryparts and connected thereto by flexible dust-proof connections, andmeans operative with said receptacle for controlling the admission ofmaterial to said chute.

5. In a feeding apparatus for weighing-machines, in combination, apositively-driven feeding device, a counterbalanced, verticallymovablereceptacle located above the same, a chute adapted to supply material tosaid receptacle, flexible, dust-proof connections between saidreceptacle and the said chute and feeding device respectively, and avalve adapted to be operated by the movements of said receptacle and tocontrol the admission of material thereto.

6. In a feeding apparatus for weighing-machines, a feeding devicecomprising in combination a casing containing a disk provided with oneor more concentric, horizontal slots, an agitator located above andadjacent to said disk and adapted to rotate continuously, and means forrotating said agitator.

7. In a feeding apparatus for weighing-machines, a casing containing adisk provided with one or more concentric, horizontal slots, each slotforming a complete circle, in combination with an agitator adapted torotate concentrically with said slots and provided with projectionsadapted to enter and move therein, and means for rotating said agitator.

S. In a feeding apparatus for weighing-ma chines, a casing containing adisk comprising a number of concentric rings connected on their bottomfaces by radial spokes and spaced apart to provide a series of slotsbetween them, in combination with an agitator comprising a number ofradial arms and adapted to be rotated adjacent to said disk, said armsand spokes being unequal in number, and means for rotating said agitatorcontinuously.

9. In a feeding apparatus for weighing-machines, the combination of acasing containing a slotted disk, a vertically-movable receptaclelocated above said casing, a valve operated by the movement of saidreceptacle for controlling the admission of material thereto, a rotaryagitator above said disk, and a shaft connected to said agitator andadapted to be rotated continuously, said shaft extending up ward throughsaid movable receptacle and having near the lower end thereof one ormore projecting pins.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 7th day of February, A.D. 1898.

WILLIAM llillllltl NICK ['lRSON.

lVitnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER, WILLIAM II. PARRY.

